


lowering property values

by goblinhimbo



Series: Ranboo Centric Stories [3]
Category: Dream-smp, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Parental Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade is Bad at Feelings (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29100273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goblinhimbo/pseuds/goblinhimbo
Summary: After Phil and Techno came home from fighting some mobs, they find the yard decimated and their enderman hybrid neighbor having a panic attack.aka the one where Phil adopts Ranboo after seeing him hurting, Techno is awkward and doesn't know how to help, and Ranboo just can't understand their kindness.
Relationships: Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: Ranboo Centric Stories [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2121798
Comments: 22
Kudos: 759





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wrote the first half of this like a week or so ago and than finished if about ten minutes ago, so sorry if the disconnect between the first and second halves is obvious!

“That sucked.”

Technoblade laughed under his breath slightly, replying, “Yeah, yeah, but at least we got a decent fight.”

“A decent fight? Techno, you took out every one of those mobs down in under a minute! In what world is that a good fight?” Phil barely got out his sentence in between the laughter spilling out. 

“Eh,” Techno shrugged, a smile playing at his lips. “It was a fight at least.” 

Phil shook his head, at this point barely paying attention to his surroundings. As much as he claimed that it was an awful fight, it _was_ still a fight, like his son said, and he was tired. But when Techno suddenly stopped, only a small bit away from his house, he instantly became more aware. 

As he glanced around them, he became aware of a sound he had beforehand unconsciously been filtering out, having become largely used to it due to Edward. Enderman chirps, loud and distressed.

On top of that, it was very quickly obvious what had caused the younger man to so quickly stop in his tracks. The yard was completely torn up, looking almost as though several creepers had exploded around the place. The craters, however, were both far more deliberate and far more irregular than those of a creeper hole. 

He glanced at Technoblade, the two of them sharing a quick glance. Phil raised an eyebrow, and Techno nodded once, quick and sharp. They moved forward, sticking close together and being careful to look down in each hole before moving forward. 

As they slowly moved through the ruined yard, the familiar sound of an Enderman grew steadily louder. 

He felt a thought hit him suddenly, causing him to quicken his walk, growing in urgency.

“Phil?” Techno sounded wary and cautious, but clearly curious about what had caused his father’s change in demeanor. 

“Ranboo.”

Technoblades eyes widened in realization, quickly starting to search the place with much more speed than before. 

As much as Techno liked to pretend that he didn’t care about the boy that had come to live with them, Phil knew he did. It was clear in the way that on cold nights Techno worried about him, and in the small smile that crept onto his face when they spoke of him.

“Ranboo? Mate, are you here?” Phill called out, rapidly approaching where the sounds were coming from, trying to not let fear cloud his mind. He had also grown fond of the hybrid, and the thought of him being hurt or in danger made desperation grip his heart. He has always had a softness for hurt kids, and despite his mistakes once he took someone under his wing he would always care about them. 

“Kid?” Techno called next to him, his voice having the slightest twinge of anxiety and worry. The sound made Phil’s heart clench even more.

The sounds stopped for a moment, and in that short amount of time Phil almost felt paralyzed in fear. He was overreacting, he knew he was, but Ranboo might be hurt or about to be, what if someone hurt him, what if someone killed him, he couldn’t lose another son _, please-_

A softer chirp interrupted the sudden quiet, still sounding distressed, but definitely an answer to their calls. 

Phil suddenly felt like he could breathe again, and he rushed forward once more, stopping in front of the largest crater. From the corner of his eye he could see Techno doing the same, but all his focus was on searching for the boy. 

Finally, his eyes came to rest on a tall figure sitting huddled in the corner of the hole. Before he could think about his actions Phil was jumping down, using his wings instinctually to slightly slow his descent. Once his feet hit the soft dirt he quickly strode over to Ranboo, collapsing onto his knees as soon as he was in front of him.

From his close position he could hear labored breathing, could see his chest rise and fall far too rapidly. 

Behind him he heard Techno join him, but paid him no mind. 

“Ranboo?”

The boy looked up at Phil briefly, giving him just enough time to see the tears and burns on his face before looking back down. Phil took a steadying breath before speaking again. “Ranboo? Can I touch you?”

Ranboo opened up his mouth and Phil allowed himself a bit of hope, before letting out a distinctly enderman chirp. His head shot up instantly, fear clear in his eyes. He clasped a hand over his mouth and his breathing got even faster as he tried to push himself further back into the corner, giving the faint impression of cornered prey. Phil felt sick. 

“No no, it’s okay. It's okay to make those noises kiddo, don’t be scared. I won't hurt you, I promise.”

The hybrid looked skeptical at his words but allowed himself to slowly lower his hand. 

“Good job son, good job. Let’s try this again, shall we? Can I touch you, Ranboo? You can just nod or shake your head, you don’t have to speak.”

There was a moment where nothing happened besides Techno shifting next to him, clearly feeling awkward and out of place, before Ranboo nodded slowly. 

“Okay, thank you for letting me know, mate. I’m going to take your hand now, move it away if you change your mind at any point. I won’t get angry, and I will make sure my grip is loose enough to get loose easily.”

Phil waited patiently for another nod, only moving once he received one. He moved slowly and deliberately, giving the other more than enough time to move away if he chose to do so. When he finally touched him, he glanced toward his face briefly. Seeing no panic at his touch, he slowly moved his fingers so they intertwined with the boy’s, making careful care to not hold onto him too tightly. 

Once their fingers were comfortably intertwined, Phil spoke up again. “Okay, good job lad. Do you think we could breathe together for a bit?”

Ranboo nodded again, clearly reluctant but agreeing regardless. Phil felt a twinge of guilt in his chest, but pushed past it. They needed to get his breathing steady if they had any chance of getting out of this hole before sunrise. 

Breathing in as loudly as he could while also keeping it steady and keeping a healthy pattern, Phil guided Ranboo through the exercise for a couple minutes. The time seemed to drag on and his muscles complained about the uncomfortable position, but he continued until the boy’s breathing was steady. 

As they breathed together Phil examined the hybrid. He seemed exhausted, starting to sag into the dirt, and a part of him wondered how long he had been sitting in the hole without them. The burns on his face followed the tear tracks, and Phil realized with a bolt of pain in his chest that his own tears were the cause. After he took mental note to treat them once they could manage to get him into the house, he allowed his gaze to wander down. 

In his hands he held a _Disc_. It was hard to make out in the dark, but even then he could see the sloppy ‘Tommy’s’ written on the edge. 

Keeping his body and head facing Ranboo, he looked toward Techno and then quickly back at the disk. When he looked back at Techno, his son nodded once and shrugged. 

Looked like he cared about the Disc about as much as Phil himself did. Good. They didn’t need to badger the kid with questions then, at least not yet. Not until he was okay again.

Shifting his attention to the Ranboo again, he felt himself untense slightly at his calmed breathing. It still wasn’t perfect, coming quicker than he would like, but it was much better than when they had started. 

“Ranboo?” he gently got the boy’s attention. His eyes flickered to meet his for a moment, before lowering slightly to rest on his chin. That’s alright, as long as he was paying attention he could look wherever he wanted. “How about we go to Technoblade’s house, yeah? I bet it would be nice to get warm in front of the fire, it's awfully chilly out here.”

There was a beat of hesitation before he slowly nodded. 

Phil slowly stood, trying to keep their hands interlocked while not pulling on his arm. He wanted to get inside, yes, but he would not rush someone who had just had a panic attack. 

As Ranboo mimicked the older man much more slowly. Phil raised an eyebrow in Technoblade’s direction. It was clear to see that his son was lost on what to do, just giving another shrug. The winged hybrid sighed under his breath, jerking his head to where Ranboo was still struggling to get to his feet. Techno’s eyes widened slightly when he realized what Phil was trying to ask him to do, shaking his head.

The two stared at each other for several long seconds, before Techno finally huffed out his nose and walked forward. Without a word he picked up Ranboo, only pausing once when he let out a warbling enderman cry. Once he was sure that the boy had realized what was happening he continued, holding him with the sort of gentleness most would have been surprised to see from the half piglin.

It was also surprising for Phil, but not for the same reason. He already knew that his son was capable of being soft for those around him, more so than most other people, even. But it was surprising for the sole reason that he had almost thought him incapable of showing that side of him to others besides Phil now.

Phil had been scared that his eldest son would never again be able to show his unfaltering kindness, too scarred by his past betrayals and being used. But looking at his soft hold on the younger boy, the kindness in his gaze, it soothed something in his chest he had barely been aware of. 

It only took a few moments for Ranboo to settle against Technoblade, tense but accepting of what was happening. Once Phil felt he was ready to move, he walked swiftly to the edge of the crater and made rudimentary stairs. If it were just him he would just climb straight up, or use his wings on days he felt particularly bitter about Dream’s no flying rule. But with Techno carrying Ranboo he knew there was no way they would make it out without stairs, as shoddily made as they may be. 

Once they were done he walked up them quickly, motioning for Techno to follow. As soon as they were out of the large hole, Ranboo still looking exhausted but slightly more aware of the things going on around him, they moved to the house quickly. It really _was_ cold out there, and as much as Phil was glad that he was there to help the enderman hybrid, he still was tired from the earlier fight and wanted nothing more than to be able to sit somewhere warm and comfortable. 

He held open the door for the two following behind him, relaxing in the soft lighting of the familiar home once they had entered before him. He took off his boots quickly, not wanting to track in snow. When he looked up, he was greeted to the sight of Techno putting down Ranboo onto the couch with all the gentleness of someone handling the most fragile glass. 

As soon as the half enderman seemed reasonably settled, Phil sat next to him on the couch. He was sure to stay close enough to be able to reach the boy if he began to panic again, but far enough that there was no chance they would accidentally brush against each other. Techno, glancing between them, sat on the floor in front of both of them. Phil barely managed to hold in his laugh at his son, knowing he was just trying his best, even if he was so obviously uncomfortable with the current situation. 

Phil… really didn’t know what to do, either. Asking about what had set off the panic attack would possibly set it off again, and not asking about it would result in not really knowing how to further help. 

And he _did_ want to help. He wanted to help so, so badly. 

Seeing the young hybrid panic, so clearly terrified he would hurt him, it reminded Phil of his own sons. All three of them came to him broken and damaged, hurt by circumstances and people. He had sat with Techno as the voices in his head screamed and raged for blood, he had breathed with Wilbur when memories had him convinced all adults were dangerous, he had talked with Tommy when he acted out to test what it would take to make Phil snap. 

And now, sitting there wracking his mind on what could possibly help Ranboo, all of his protective paternal feelings arose once again. For a different child, in a different situation, but God was it familiar. 

“I’m sorry.”

Phil’s head snapped up. “What?’

Ranboo, looking down at his hands, said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you, or tear up the lawn, I promise I’ll fix it in the morning. Or now! I can go go do it now, if-”

“No, no.” Phil leaned forward, needing Ranboo to listen to him. “You will stay here for the night. In the morning, I will help you fix up the lawn.”

“But, it’s my mess?” Ranboo furrowed his brows, shifting uncomfortably.

Phil felt the knot in his chest tighten again. God, how he wished he could hold the boy until the uncertainty and fear in his voice melted away, until he knew how much Phil cared for him already. They had barely even known each other before he moved near them, and yet Phil was already more fond of him than he was of most people on the server, and he wished more than anything in that moment that he knew how to show that. 

“But I am your friend. Yes, it is your mess, but that doesn’t mean that you have to deal with it alone.”

As Phil spoke Ranboo’s eyes filled with tears again, and Phil felt a jolt of panic at the sight. “Oh, no, don’t cry, come on kid, that looks so painful.”

“Sorry,” he responded, voice so quiet and shaky that Phil could barely understand him. “Sorry, sorry, I’m sorry.”

Without a moment of thought, Phil reached out and wrapped his arms around the younger hybrid. A part of him knew he should have waited, asked for permission first. But the part of him that raised three children alone, consoled them through nightmares and scraped knees, that part of him acted on instinct alone at the sight of a distressed child. 

Within moments Ranboo melted in his embrace, burying his face in Phil’s shoulder. Phil held on tighter. 

Over the boy’s shoulder he gave Techno a look, hoping that he would get the message without Phil needing to say anything. His son nodded back, standing and walking to the kitchen. 

Redirecting his focus back onto Ranboo, he moved his hand in circles on the boy’s back, receiving a quiet whine in response. For a moment Phil allowed himself to wonder when the last time he was comforted like this, the last time he was comforted by an adult at all. Anger rose in his gut for a moment, before he forced it down. There would be time for that later.

For now, he would allow Ranboo to cry himself out, making sure to comfort him the entire time. There was no way he was getting any answers tonight, not without hurting the boy even more. So for tonight he would hold onto the enderman hybrid tightly, offering whatever comfort he could. And in the morning, Phil would find out what had hurt this precious, kind child, and he would make it stop, by whatever means necessary.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all asked for a part two, so here you go! This makes this the longest thing I've ever written cause it just Kept Going.
> 
> Also, I know that this is pretty ooc. I also don't overly care, because I write because it's fun, I'm not gonna spend hours making sure its as close to their canon characters as I could get it, because that wouldn't be fun.

Techno didn’t sleep that night.

Even after all the commotion had died down, after Phil showed Ranboo to his own bed while Phil took the couch, Techno didn’t get a minute of rest. 

That isn’t to say that he didn’t try, of course. He had laid in his bed for at least an hour, staring up at the dark ceiling. It didn’t take long for him to realize that there was no chance of chat allowing him a single moment of sleep, though.

> **BLOOD**
> 
> **BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD**
> 
> **KILL WHOEVER HURT THE ENDERCHILD**
> 
> **BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD**
> 
> **KILL HIM KILL DREAM HE DID SOMETHING**
> 
> **BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD**

Eventually, he got tired of doing nothing while the voices screamed in rage. It didn’t help that he agreed with them, he wanted to kill whoever or whatever had hurt Ranboo, but there was nothing he could do yet. He couldn’t just go and kill Dream as satisfying as it would be. He didn’t even have any proof that he was the culprit behind this. 

(A part of him whispered that even if he wasn’t the one to hurt this child, he had hurt another. He pushed it down. There was no use in thinking of the traitor child.)

He sat up and without pause he pulled on his boots and a cloak. He only paused to grab a shovel before quietly rushing out his house, making sure to not wake Phil. His father needed the rest, even if it wouldn’t be the absolute best on the couch. 

It was dark outside, and he pulled his cloak around him more tightly to try and fend off the cold. He scanned the area quickly, looking for any immediately obvious mobs. Not seeing any, he quickly got to work. 

Pulling out the shovel, he walked to the nearest mini crater and began to shovel the dirt that had been hastily thrown about back into the hole. It was a slow, repetitive process and Techno knew that before long the chat would begin screaming at him for blood once again. But for now it was mostly quiet, seemingly happy that he was at least doing something other than staring into the dark. 

As soon as the hole that he had been working on had been filled, he moved onto the next one. He could already feel his muscles beginning to ache, but he did his best to ignore the discomfort. Once that one had also been filled, he moved onto the next, and then the next.

Technoblade doesn’t really do feelings. Even as a child, he wasn’t like his brothers who began to cry at the slightest obstacle. Sometimes his anger would get away from him, causing broken noses and bruised knees, but even then he knew he came across cold. He knew that he did  _ have  _ feelings, but identifying what they were and how to deal with them was too difficult and bothersome, so he tended to ignore them.

Feelings were foreign and difficult for him, and therefore so was comforting others. Even when he tried his best to help, it would often result in him simply patting the other on the back and saying, “There there.”, which apparently isn’t helpful. Or so he has been told. 

As a result, whenever he knew someone was upset and needed someone, he often resorted to simply getting his father and saying, “Look. An upset person. Go fix it.” It's a surprisingly effective tactic, due to Phil’s kind demeanor and innate desire to help. It had worked for years, with Techno feeling satisfied that he didn’t directly have to deal with the feelings while still feeling like he had helped. 

This time should have been no different. Phil had dealt with Ranboo while he was crying and having a panic attack, and Techno didn’t mess anything up by trying and failing to help. He had even been more helpful than normal, he had carried the enderman hybrid inside and made hot chocolate while the two had talked. Phil had even been proud of him, even if he didn’t say it. The two had spent enough time together for him to be able to tell just by the look in his eyes. 

So he doesn’t understand why he feels guilty. Why every time he thought about Ranboo’s face, burnt by his own tears, Techno felt a twisting in his stomach. 

It’s not like it was his fault that the enderman hybrid had a panic attack, so why in the world should he feel as though he did something wrong by not helping more? Even if he did try to help somehow, it’s not like he could have actually helped, especially not without knowing what had set him off in the first place. Even though he knew that, he still couldn’t help but feel as though he should have somehow done something more. 

Before he knew it, hours had passed of him shoveling dirt back into its proper place. The sun was rising over the snow tundra when he finally finished, his muscles sore and aching. Despite his physical exhaustion, he knew that if tried to get any sleep it would be just as fruitless as when he had tried hours before. There was still a restless within him that hadn’t been fixed by simply moving dirt.

Lost in thought, Techno didn’t hear as the door to his house swung open. “Techno?”

His head swung around to where the voice came from, automatically shifting into a defensive stance. He quickly relaxed when he saw Phil standing on the entrance to his house, still seemingly half asleep.

“Ah. Phil. Good morning.” He shifted slightly, suddenly aware of the fact that it was no earlier than six AM and he was standing outside, covered in dirt. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Well. Last night there were craters in our yard. And now there isn’t, and I’m holding a shovel. So I don’t think it’s all that hard to figure out, really.”

His father very obviously rolled his eyes, but didn’t bother to hide the smile on his lips. “Yes, I can see that Techno. I was more asking why, but thank you for the sarcasm.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” he reluctantly admitted, “so I figured I would do something productive. 

Phil’s face visibly softened, and Techno shifted again uncomfortably. “The voices?” His voice was as soft as his face, and Techno cleared his throat.  _ Emotions.  _

“Well, you know how they are. Demanding blood, spamming e, generally being annoying.”

“I see.” Phil nodded understandingly. “Well, I suppose me and Ranboo don’t have to fix up the lawn today. Thank you, lad.”

“He should rest today anyway.” Techno walked into the house quickly, his brain finally beginning to fully register the cold now that his task was complete. Phil put a hand on his shoulder as he tried to walk into the house, stopping him in his tracks. 

“Are you alright, son?” Techno could hear how his voice was laced with concern, and he carefully kept his eyes straight ahead as he nodded. There was a sigh before the hand let go, and Techno had to resist the urge to run into the house, forcing himself to walk at a normal pace. God, emotions are horrible.

He could hear Phil follow behind him as he walked into the kitchen, and Techno said, “I’m hungry. Do you think the kid will be up soon?”

“I’m not sure. He was exhausted yesterday, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he slept through half the day today, though he usually seems to get up around this time."

“Uh…” a voice said from behind them. Techno quickly turned, unsurprised to see Ranboo standing in the doorway from Phil’s room. His voice was very distinctive. 

Phil grinned, saying, “Well hello there! I guess I was right about this being the usual time for you to wake up, at least.”

“Yeah, uh, I usually wake up when the sun rises. I don’t know why.” He shrugged, looking awkward. If there was one thing Techno appreciated about the fellow hybrid, it was the fact that he seemed to have just as much difficulty with social interactions as he did. 

“Well then!” Phil clapped, making Ranboo jump. “Since we are all up, we should eat breakfast.”

“Good idea. Do you know what we have right now?”   


Rubbing his chin in mock thought, Phil replied, “Well, we have eggs and bread, like usual. Surprising absolutely no one.”

“So nothing new then.” Techno sighed. “Alright, scrambled eggs and toast it is”

“Uhm..” Techno turned his gaze back to Ranboo, raising an eyebrow. “I should actually probably start fixing up the yard, so uh, I probably should get going.”

“Ah! It turns out Techno,” he winced, knowing where his father was going, “stayed up last night to do just that! So actually have the whole day free, so you can’t wiggle out of eating with us.”

“Oh, I wasn’t trying to wiggle out of eating with you guys, I just- wait, you filled up all the holes?”

Techno rubbed the back of his neck, hunching over ever so slightly, “Yeah, well, I couldn’t sleep and I wanted to make sure it was done right, so I just did it myself.” 

> **TsundreBlade**
> 
> **Awww, he caresssss**
> 
> **e**
> 
> **e**
> 
> **e**
> 
> **guys stop spamming!**
> 
> **e**
> 
> **tsundreblade strikes again!**

Groaning and rubbing his temples, Techno growled, “Shut up guys.”

“Voices again?” Phil asked, his voice heavy with sympathy. Techno reluctantly nodded. “You should go get some rest, you know that they are always more loud when you’re tired.”

“Yeah yeah, I know. I’m not tired though, so I won’t be able to sleep even if I try. And just laying around listening to them won’t help much either.”

“Wait, wait, what?” 

Oh. 

Techno snapped his head up, making eye contact with a wide eyed Ranboo, who immediately snapped his head to the side. “I just… What do you mean?” Something about his voice sounded fragile, almost the way it did last night. Not nearly as bad, of course, if it was anywhere near that level Techno thought Phil might immediately force him back into bed, bundled up in a blanket so tightly he wouldn’t manage to wiggle his way out for hours. But enough to make Techno immediately aware that he wasn’t just asking to be judgemental, or even just out of pure confusion. 

“Yeah. Voices. Call ‘em chat.” He knew his voice sounded gruff, and a part of him felt bad about the way the boy shrunk back slightly at it. The rest of him was just proud he managed to get it out at all.

Looking toward Phil, Techno crossed his arms over his chest tightly. Luckily enough, his father immediately knew what his son was trying to ask him to do. 

“He hears voices sometimes, a bunch of them. Say really random shit, they’re mostly just annoying and not too harmless but they can get really loud.” 

Phil’s voice was unusually harsh. It wasn’t a too uncommon tone when directed at anyone else, but not toward Ranboo. With Ranboo he always seemed to talk softly, so to hear him sound cold with him was a shock to Techno. It was seemingly a shock to Ranboo as well, with the way he seemed to curl in on himself even more. 

“Jeez Phil, no need to scare the guy.” 

“No, no, it’s okay! I know that probably sounded kinda, uh, rude? When I asked? But uh, I just, I…” Ranboo trailed off, swaying slightly, brows furrowed. 

Any harshness lingering on Phil’s expression quickly melted away as concern took its place, and he quickly rushed to the boy’s side. “Fuck, are you alright lad? I’m sorry if I sounded cold, I didn’t mean anything by it-”

“I’m okay, I’m fine, don’t worry.” He waved away Phil’s concern. “I just, uh, I hear voices too…?”

His voice got so quiet by the end of his sentence Techno could only barely make out his words, and even then he took several seconds to process it. When he finally did, all he could manage to get out was an embarrassingly high pitched,  _ “Heh?” _

“I, uh, hear voices too? Or, well, one voice? Specifically?” Ranboo was so hunched over at this point that Techno was almost worried about his back. 

“This feels like a sit down conversation.” Phil piped up suddenly, bringing Techno’s attention back toward him. He was unsurprised to see blaring concern on his father's face as he slowly reached out and grabbed the enderman hybrid's elbow, gently guiding him toward the couch. 

Techno followed behind the two of them as Phil gently pulled Ranboo into the living room and forced him onto the couch. This time, unlike last night, Techno knew he was forced into this conversation whether he felt he could handle it without being painfully awkward or not. 

Once the three of them had settled down, Techno had honestly expected for Ranboo to immediately continue with what he had started saying. Instead, what he got was them all sitting in an painfully awkward silence for several minutes, Phil clearly not wanting to rush the boy and Ranboo not knowing how to continue. 

Finally, Techno sighed. He’d rather accidentally make the entire thing worse than just sit here all day. “Is that what yesterday was about?”

Ranboo jumped, as if he were surprised to hear Techno speak. “Uh, I mean, kinda? Sorta?”

“How about you start at the beginning?” Phil smiled at him encouragingly. Techno barely managed to muffle a snicker despite the situation, watching his father slowly adopt yet another child. The man has an entire collection, at this point. 

“Right, right, okay.” He nodded decisively. “The beginning, got it. So, uhm, a couple weeks ago I started hearing a voice? In my panic room? Dream’s voice, uh, specifically.” 

Techno and Phil quickly glanced at each other. Despite having worked with him shortly, Techno held no love for the man, and Phil didn’t care about who it was. If someone hurt one of his people and he found out about it, he would kill them. 

“He, uh, told me things I had done and forgotten. He told me that I had betrayed everyone by trying to betray no one. He told me I blew up the community house, and I  _ had TNT.  _ It wasn’t lying, I blew it up. The one thing that everyone on the server could agree was bad, and I did it! Not only that, but I had one of the discs! Without remembering, I did something to gain his trust enough that he gave me a disc, one of the most powerful items on the entire server!”

Ranboo’s voice steadily grew louder until he was half shouting. He was gripping his hair, tugging it harshly, and Techno could only stare with wide eyes as Phil quickly moved closer to the distressed boy and began to rub his back comfortingly. 

Great. So even if the voice itself isn’t Dream, he still had some involvement. This was now the second time that he knew of that Dream had apparently manipulated a  _ child. _

> **BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD**
> 
> **KILL DREAM KILL HIM KILL HIM**
> 
> **TECHNOPROTECT PROTECT HIM**
> 
> **BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD**
> 
> **KILL HIM KILL DREAM HE DID SOMETHING**
> 
> **BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD**
> 
> **BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD**

He grit his teeth, clenching his fists for a moment before taking a deep breath and forcing away all the tension in his body like Phil taught him. He couldn’t kill him, not yet. Not without planning. 

“It’s okay, Ranboo, you’re okay.” Phil comforted the boy softly. It didn’t seem to be working. 

“We don’t care about that.”

Ranboo looked up at him slightly, and his stomach twisted in anxiety. “What?”

“We don’t care about any of that. We don’t care about the community house or the discs, those are Tommy’s thing. We literally worked with Dream a week ago. Why would we care about any of that.”

Phil glanced at him from the corner of his eye, a glint of pride clear in his eyes. Well at least that’s a sign that he didn’t mess it up too horribly. 

“But… I don’t even remember doing those things. What if I did something to betray you guys without remembering?”

Giving him his most deadpan look, Techno replied, “How? We haven’t told you anything betrayal worthy, so you couldn’t reveal anything. Other than maybe how ridiculous Phil looks when he wakes up. And If you tried to hurt either of us, we could take you down within seconds. No offence, but you’re a twig. Anything else you do we could just fix somehow. And it doesn’t even count as a betrayal if you don’t remember doing it or why you did it.”

As he spoke Ranboo slowly relaxed, the tension leaking out of him in the face of Techno’s logic. “Yeah, that makes sense…”

Techno nodded decisively, a smile tugging at his lips. He had actually managed to help, without saying anything to make it worse or just too awkward. Turns out he might be okay with this whole comforting thing, as long as the person wanted to hear logic. 

“And if you do do something, as long as you tell us as soon as you remember or the voice tells you, we won’t be mad. Like Techno said, it's not fair to consider you a traitor for doing things you don’t seem to have much control over.” Phil spoke while putting an arm over Ranboo’s shoulder, leaning against him. 

For a moment Ranboo looked almost like he wanted to argue the point, before he just nodded and relaxed fully into Phil’s side. “Okay.”

After a quiet moment Techno stood. “Okay, well, I am still hungry. I am going to go make breakfast. For all of us. Ranboo, do you want your eggs scrambled or over easy?”

Blinking for a moment in confusion, Ranboo tilted his head to the side before saying, “Uh, scrambled please. If that’s okay.”

“‘Kay.” Techno quickly walked into the kitchen, not bothering to ask Phil what he wanted. He nearly always asked for over easy anyway, and if he wanted anything else than he could make it for himself. 

He went through the motions of slicing bread and getting out the eggs absentmindedly, having done it a million times before. As he did so, he finally allowed himself time to begin trying to think, to sort through everything that had happened.

This server sucked at protecting the kids. Even if Tommy is a little shit, Techno can admit he doesn’t deserve everything he’s been through, not entirely. He may be a traitor, and there may be a part of Techno that always resents him for what happened, but he is still a kid. Tubbo was put in charge of an entire country. Ranboo apparently is being used by Dream. It seems like every kid that joins gets inevitably screwed up.

And even if he would never admit it out loud, Techno had grown awfully fond of the enderman hybrid. He was polite and never stole from them. His humor was similar to Techno’s, making each conversation entertaining, even if a bit stilted due to their combined awkwardness. It was impossible to not get at least a bit attached, especially considering the fact that Phil seemed determined to adopt the child. 

“Techno.” Speak of the devil.

Keeping his eyes on the cooking eggs, Techno responded, “Phil.”

“Are you okay?” 

He hummed an affirmative, flipping over one of the eggs briefly before putting it on a plate. He was silent as he cracked another egg, only speaking up when the sizzling filled the air again. “Is the kid?”

“Ranboo? He’s fine, tired again already, not that I can blame him. I’ll probably force him back into bed once he is finished eating.”

“Good idea. We’ll need to plan anyway, and it's better if he isn’t around for it.”

His father didn’t respond other than an answering hum, neither an agreement or denial. That’s fine. He didn’t need a yes or no, because it wasn’t a question. He knew Phil well enough that it wasn’t necessary. 

They stood in silence as Techno finished breakfast, only breaking it when he put the last piece of toast on a plate. “Ranboo, breakfast is ready!” 

Techno put each of the plates on the dining table as the enderman hybrid entered the room. Without bothering with saying anything, he sat himself down at the plate with his food and began eating, watching out of his peripheral vision as the other two did the same. 

They ate in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Everything that needed to be said between the three of them for that morning had already been said, and now they were content to just be in each other’s presence as they ate, not alone but not needing to spend the energy of figuring out how to make conversation. 

It only took a few minutes for all three of them to finish, and once they had Phil did as he said and immediately began ushering Ranboo back to sleep. He put up a small bit of protests saying that he should get back to his home, but it was clearly half hearted and stopped the moment that Phil said they would be happy to have him stay for a while longer. Techno knew that with the way Phil’s adoptive tendencies were going he would likely wind up staying for more than just a while, but that was a conversation for another time. 

As his father made sure Ranboo actually went to sleep, Techno began planning. He knew that the moment Phil finished mothering Ranboo to death, he would join. 

Because as gentle and kind as Phil could be, it would always be a misstep to forget who exactly the man was. He was a founder of the Antarctic Empire, he helped to cause Doomsday, he killed his own son once it became obvious how far gone he was. He was just as made of violence as Techno, even if these days it was mostly hidden behind kind smiles and jovial laughter. 

Even if the men before considered themselves retired, that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. They proved that when they destroyed L’Manburg, but it seems like Dream somehow didn’t get the memo; working with them one time doesn't make him exempt from their most important rule. You hurt their family, and you will regret it. 

Dream had been let off the hook from hurting their family too many times. Techno should have killed the man the moment he found out he had been the one to cause his little brother’s pain. He will not make that mistake again. 

The man should begin to count his days. The Blade was coming, and there would be no mercy for the man who had hurt his brothers. 


End file.
